ECHR

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Civil & Political Rights Official Text

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) protects fundamental rights like life, fair trial, privacy, and freedom from torture for everyone within the 47 member countries, including the UK. For asylum seekers and refugees, it's particularly important because it prevents countries from sending people back to places where they face torture or inhuman treatment, and it guarantees access to fair asylum procedures. The treaty is strongly enforced through the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where individuals can take cases against governments, and countries generally comply with its rulings. The UK has been bound by the ECHR since 1951 and incorporated it into domestic law through the Human Rights Act 1998, meaning UK courts must consider these rights in their decisions and asylum seekers can rely on them in legal challenges.